Directional rope structures and methods and mooring systems including directional rope systems and methods

ABSTRACT

A rope structure defining first and second ends and comprising first and second directional strands defining a first and second characteristics, respectively, and at least one additional strand. The second directional strand is distinguishable from the first directional strand and the at least one additional strand is distinguishable from the first and second directional strands based on the first and second characteristics. A first adjacent portion defined by the first directional strand and a second adjacent portion defined by the second directional strand are arranged within intermediate sections of the rope structure such that the first adjacent portion(s) of the first directional strand is(are) closer to the first end of the rope than the second adjacent portion(s) of the second directional strand and the second adjacent portion is(are) closer to the second end of the rope than the first adjacent portion.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application (Attorney's Ref. No. P219988) claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/959,605 filed Jan. 10, 2020, currently pending, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to rope systems, structures, and methods and, in particular, to rope systems, structures, and methods that allow a user to determine the relative arrangement of the ends of the rope.

BACKGROUND

Rope is often wound onto devices, such as winches, for storage and handling. When stored, determining which end of the rope is the free end can be difficult. Knowing which end of the rope is the free end can be helpful when tracking use history and determining health of the rope. When a rope is used as a mooring line, identifying the free end is important because the ends are often reversed during deployment. Reversal of the ends of the rope is common to even out wear on the rope over the deployment of the rope.

The present invention may be embodied as a rope system or method in which two different strands are arranged within the rope in a predetermined order. The strands are distinguishable by appearance or some other characteristic, and the order of strands can be used to determine which end of the rope is free. The rope structure of the present invention is of particular significance when used as part of a mooring system, and that example of the present invention will be described in detail below.

SUMMARY

The present invention may be embodied as a rope structure defining first and second ends, the rope structure comprising first and second directional strands and at least one additional strand. The first directional strand defines a first characteristic. The second directional strand defines a second characteristic. The second directional strand is distinguishable from the first directional strand based on the first and second characteristics. The at least one additional strand is distinguishable from the first and second directional strands based on the first and second characteristics. The first and second directional strands are supported to define at least one intermediate section of the rope structure. A first adjacent portion defined by the first directional strand and a second adjacent portion defined by the second directional strand are arranged within each intermediate section of the rope structure such that the first adjacent portion of the first directional strand is closer to the first end of the rope than the second adjacent portion of the second directional strand and the second adjacent portion of the second directional strand is closer to the second end of the rope than the first adjacent portion of the first directional strand.

The present invention may be embodied as a mooring system for securing a vessel relative to a predetermined location comprising vessel hardware supported by the vessel, predetermined location hardware supported at the predetermined location; and a rope structure. The rope structure defines first and second ends and comprises a plurality of types of strands. At least one of the types of strands forms a first directional strand defining a first characteristic. At least one of the types of strands forms a second directional strand defining a second characteristic, where the second directional strand is distinguishable from the first directional strand based on the first and second characteristics. At least one of the types of strands is distinguishable from the first and second directional strands based on the first and second characteristics. The first and second directional strands are supported to define at least one intermediate section of the rope structure. A first adjacent portion defined by the first directional strand and a second adjacent portion defined by the second directional strand are arranged within each intermediate section of the rope structure such that the first adjacent portion of the first directional strand is closer to the first end of the rope than the second adjacent portion of the second directional strand and the second adjacent portion of the second directional strand is closer to the second end of the rope than the first adjacent portion of the first directional strand. The mooring system operates in a first configuration in which the first end is operatively connected to the vessel hardware and the second end is operatively connected to the predetermined location hardware and a second configuration in which the second end is operatively connected to the vessel hardware and the first end is operatively connected to the predetermined location hardware.

The present invention may also be embodied as a method of determining directionality of a rope structure comprising a plurality of strands and defining first and second ends, the method comprising the following steps. A first directional strand is identified from the plurality of strands. The first directional strand defines a first characteristic. A second directional strand is identified from the plurality of strands. The second directional strand defines a second characteristic. The second directional strand is distinguished from the first directional strand based on the first and second characteristics. The first and second directional strands are supported to define at least one intermediate section of the rope structure, a first adjacent portion defined by the first directional strand, and a second adjacent portion defined by the second directional strand. The first adjacent portion and the second adjacent portion are arranged within each intermediate section of the rope structure. The first and second ends of the rope structure are identified based on a determination that the first adjacent portion of the first directional strand is closer to the first end of the rope than the second adjacent portion of the second directional strand and the second adjacent portion of the second directional strand is closer to the second end of the rope than the first adjacent portion of the first directional strand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a first example rope structure of the present invention comprising directional strands that are visually distinguishable from each other;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a second example rope structure of the present invention comprising directional strands of different colors;

FIG. 1C is a perspective view of a third example rope structure of the present invention comprising directional strands of different shading; and

FIGS. 2A and 2B are top plan, somewhat schematic views of first and second configurations, respectively, of an example mooring system employing any of the rope structures of FIGS. 1A-1C.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate example rope structures 20 containing a plurality of strands 22. The rope structures 20 of FIGS. 1A-1C differ only in strand characteristics as will be described below, and the same reference characters will be used in FIGS. 1A-1C to represent similar elements.

The example rope structure 20 comprises a first type of strand 22 a, a second type of strand 22 b, a third type of strand 22 c, and a fourth type of strand 22 d. FIG. 1A uses gray scale to illustrate different strands. In FIG. 1B, the strands 22 are colored to facilitate differentiation of the different types of strands 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, and 22 d. In particular, the first type of strands 22 a is black, the second type of strand 22 b is blue, the third type of strand 22 c is orange, and the fourth type of strand 22 d is green. In FIG. 1C, characteristics such as color, texture, or sheen are depicted using cross-hatching.

The example rope structure 20 comprises multiple strands of the first and second types of strands 22 a and 22 b. The types of strands 22 a and 22 b are primarily selected for the functional characteristics that they supply to the example rope structure 20. Further, a different example rope structure of the present invention may include a single strand of either or both of the first and second types of strands 22 a and 22 b. The example strands 22 a and 22 b may be of different sizes and dimensions and to provide different functional characteristics to the rope structure 20 but may be the same size and dimension and selected to provide the same functional characteristics to the rope structure 20. If selected to provide the same functional characteristics to the rope structure 20, the first and second types of strands 22 a and 22 b may made of the same material and have the same size, dimensions, and functional characteristics.

Although represented using different colors in the example rope structure 20, the first and second types of strands 22 a and 22 b may be the same color.

In the example rope structure 20, the third and fourth types of strands 22 c and 22 d are each formed by at least one first directional strand 30 and at least one second identifier 32, respectively. The first and second identified strands 30 and 32 are arranged such that the one of the directional strands 30 and 32 always “precedes” the other of the directional strands 30 and 32. Determining which of the directional strands 30 and 32 comes “first” along the length of the rope structure 20 identifies the directionality of the rope structure 20.

In particular, a first end 40 of the example rope structure 20 is to the lower left in FIGS. 1A-1C, and a second end 42 of the example rope structure 20 is to the upper right in FIGS. 1A-1C. First and second tags (not shown) are typically affixed to the first and second ends 40 and 42 to identify these ends. However, one or both of the first and second tags may not be visible (e.g., buried under a portion of the rope structure 20 stored on a winch) or may become detached.

Accordingly, the example first and second directional strands 30 and 32 are arranged relative to the first and second types of strands 22 a and 22 b such that the first directional strand 30 defines a first adjacent portion 50 and the second directional strand 32 defines a second adjacent portion 52. Further, the first and second directional strands 30 and 32 are supported by the example rope structure 20 such that, in any intermediate section 60 defined by the rope structure 20, the first and second adjacent portions 50 and 52 are always arranged such that the adjacent portion 50 of the first directional strand 30 is closest to the first end 40 of the rope structure 20 and the adjacent portion 52 of the second directional strand 32 is closest to the second end 42 of the rope structure 20.

In any given intermediate section 60 of the example rope structure 20, only one pair of first and second adjacent portions 50 and 52 is visible or detectable. Each intermediate section 60 is arranged somewhere along the length of the rope structure 60 between the first and second ends 40 and 42. Typically, a plurality of the intermediate sections 60 will be arranged at evenly spaced intervals along the length of the rope structure 20. Each intermediate section 60 may extend around the entire circumference of the rope structure 20 within a predetermined length of the rope structure 20 or may extend around only a portion of the circumference of the rope structure 20 within a predetermined length of the rope structure 20.

A user of the example rope structure 20 can determine where the first and second ends 40 and 42 of the example rope structure 20 are arranged simply by looking at any intermediate section 60 of the example rope structure 20 including a pair 70 of first and second adjacent portions 50 and 52 of the first and second directional strands 30 and 32 and by determining or detecting the relative positions of the first and second portions 50 and 52. The determination or detection of the relative positions of the first and second rope portions 50 and 52 in any intermediate section 60 is performed visually or by image recognition analysis in the example rope structure 20 in which the first and second directional strands 30 and 32 are different colors.

While the first and second directional strands 30 and 32 forming the third and fourth types of strands 22 c and 22 d appear as different colored strands in FIG. 1B, other discernable or detectable characteristics, such as size, texture, or the like, can be used in addition or instead to differentiate between two directional strands. And while color, size, texture, and the like are visible to the human eye, non-visible characteristics (e.g., conductivity, magnetism, ultra-violet dyes, and/or RFID identifier) may also be used to differentiate the first and second directional strands 30 and 32 forming the third and fourth types of strands 22 c and 22 d from each other. Accordingly, the determination or detection of the relative positions of the first and second rope portions 50 and 52 in any intermediate section 60 may be performed by any sense (e.g., touch) or by a detector (e.g., camera, RFID sensor, and/or magnetic sensor). With colors, determination or detection may be either by unaided human eye and/or by detection (e.g., processing image data from a camera).

Further, while the example rope structure 20 employs a single pair 80 of the first and second directional strands 30 and 32, another example rope structure of the present invention may include two or more pairs of the first and second directional strands 30 and 32. In that case, each of the plurality of pairs 80 of directional strands will define its own set of intermediate sections 60 spaced along the length of the rope structure 20. Further, each pair 80 of directional strands 30 and 32 may define intermediate sections 60 that extend around only a portion of the circumference of the rope structure 20 within a predetermined length of the rope structure 20. For example, one of the multiple pairs 80 of directional strands 30 and 32 may define intermediate sections 60 that extend around a first half of the circumference of the rope structure 20 and another of the multiple pairs 80 of directional strands 30 and 32 may define intermediate sections 60 that extend around a second half of the circumference of the rope structure 20.

The third and fourth types of strands 22 c and 22 d may have the same or different size, dimensions, and/or functional characteristics as each other or as the first and/or second types of strands 22 a and 22 b.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the example rope structure 20 is depicted therein as used as part of a mooring system 120 for securing an example ship 122 to an example dock 124. The example ship 122 comprises a deck 130 defining a deck perimeter 132.

Supported on the deck 130 of the example ship 122 is deck hardware such as winches 140 and bollards 142. Formed in the example ship 122 at locations around the deck perimeter are chocks 144. The winches 140 typically define attachment points for rope structures, and the bollards 142 and chocks 144 typically define bearing surfaces that engages a rope structure to change direction of the rope. Dock hardware 150 and 152 define at least one of an attachment point and a bearing surface on the example dock 124. The example dock hardware 150 defines an attachment point located at a predetermined location, while the example dock hardware defines a bearing surface. The predetermined location at which the dock hardware 150 is located may be fixed in space (e.g., a fixed dock) or may be non-fixed in space (e.g. a buoy or floating dock). The example dock hardware 150 and 152 will also be referred to herein as predetermined location hardware.

The winches 140 may be the same or different from each other but perform the same basic function. The bollards 142 may be the same or different from each other but perform the same basic function. The chocks 144 may be the same or different from each other but perform the same basic function. The size, dimension, and locations of winches 140, bollards 142, and chocks 144 will be determined by a particular ship and rigging for that particular ship and will not be described herein beyond that extent helpful for a complete understanding of the present invention. In the following discussion, the reference characters 140, 142, and 144 will be used to refer to winches, bollards, and chocks, respectively, and a particular winch, bollard, or chock will be referred to by a letter appended to the appropriate reference character. Any component identified by the combination of a reference character and appended letter does not differ, from the perspective of the principles of the present invention, from the components identified by a reference character without an appended letter.

As will be described below, the winches 140, bollards 142, and chocks 144 are located relative to each other to define at least one rope route and typically a plurality of rope routes. The rope routes are typically discontinuous pathways in three dimensions between two predetermined locations and will be determined by a particular ship and rigging for that particular ship and will not be described herein beyond that extent helpful for a complete understanding of the present invention. In the example rope structure 20, one end 40 or 42 is operatively connected to one of the winches 140 a and extends along an example rope route 160 from the winch 140 a, around the bollard 142 a, through the chock 144 a, and around the dock hardware 152, with the other end 40 or 42 operatively connected to the dock hardware 150. The bollard 142 a, chock 144 a, and dock hardware 152 thus all define bearing surfaces that change a direction of the rope route 160. The example rope route 160 will extend in substantially straight lines between the hardware 140 a, 142 a, 144 a, 152, and 150. When under tension, the rope structure 20 will change direction in any of three dimensions between the termination points defined by the winch 144 a and the dock hardware 150.

FIGS. 2A and 2B further illustrate that the example mooring system 120 may be operated in first and second configurations, respectively. In the first configuration illustrated in FIG. 2A, the first end 40 of the example rope structure 20 is connected to the winch 140 a and the second end 42 of the example rope structure 20 is connected to the dock hardware 150. In the second configuration illustrated in FIG. 2B, the second end 42 of the example rope structure 20 is connected to the winch 140 a and the first end 42 of the example rope structure 20 is connected to the dock hardware 150. Typically, the connection of the ends 40 and 42 of the rope structure 20 to the rope hardware 140 a and the dock hardware 150 will be reversed at least once during deployment of the rope structure 20 such that the example mooring system 120 is in both the first and second configurations during deployment to more evenly distribute wear on the rope structure 20 during operation of the mooring system 120.

A user standing on the deck 130 may determine whether the example rope 20 of the example mooring system 120 is arranged such that the example mooring system 120 is in the first configuration or in the second configuration by determining the relative orientation of the first and second directional strands 30 and 32 of the example strand pair 70 of the example rope structure 20.

When used as part of a mooring system such as the example mooring system 120, the example rope structure 20 will typically be within the general parameters as set forth below.

The types of strands 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, and 22 d are typically formed by a plurality of natural or synthetic fibers. The fibers forming the example strands 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, and 22 d may be made of any one of the following materials: such as Nylon, Polyester, Polyolefin, Polyamid (PA), polyethylene terephthalate/polyethersulfone (PET/PES), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), high modulus polyethylene (HMPE), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), Para-Aramid, poly p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole (PBO) fibers, high modulus polypropylene (HMPP), PP/PE blends, High Modulus Polypropylene (HMPP) (e.g., Innegra), Olefin, High Modulus Polyethylene (HMPE) (e.g., Dnyeema, Spectra), Polyacrylonitrile (e.g., Orlon), Carbon, Aramid (e.g., Twaron, Kevlar, Technora, Teijinconex), PBO (Poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole) (e.g., Zylon), LCP (e.g., Vectran), PIPD (Poly[2, 6-diimidazo (4,5-b:4′,5′-e) pyridinylene-1,4(2,5-dihydroxy) phenylen]) (e.g., M5), PBI (Polybenziadazole), PEN (Polyethylene Naphthalate) (e.g., Pentex), Glass, Basalt, Metal, PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) (e.g., Vinyon), PVDC (Polyvinylidene Chloride) (e.g., Saran), Polyurethane-polyurea (e.g., Spandex, Lycra), Polyvinyl Alcohol (e.g., Vinalon), PPS (Polyphylene Sulfide) (e.g. Ryton), and the like.

When the example rope structure 20 is used as part of a mooring system such as the example mooring system 120 described above, the strands 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, and 22 d are typically formed from one or more of the following: high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) fibers, aramid fibers (e.g., Technora), and liquid crystal polymer (LCP) fibers (aromatic polyester fibers) (e.g., Vectran).

The example rope structure 20, when used as part of a mooring system such as the example mooring system 120, typically defines a nominal thickness dimension in a first range of between ¾″ and 4″ and in any event should be within a second range of greater than ½″.

The example rope structure 20 typically includes at least 8 strands but should in any event contain between 8 and 72 strands. The example rope structure 20 may be jacketed or unjacketed. If jacketed, the directional strands such as the directional strands 30 and 32 should form a part of the jacket so that the directional strands are visible to the user of the rope during normal operation and use of the rope.

When the example rope structure 20 is used as part of a mooring system such as the example mooring system 120 described above, the strands 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, and 22 d are typically formed from one or more of the following: high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) fibers, aramid fibers (e.g., Technora), and liquid crystal polymer (LCP) fibers (aromatic polyester fibers) (e.g., Vectran). When configured as part of a mooring system, the strands 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, and 22 d are typically are the same size and dimension and are made of the same material, except that at least one characteristics of the types of strands 22 c and 22 d allows the directional strands 30 and 32 to be distinguished from each other to determine rope directionality. The characteristic that is different between the example directional strands 30 and 32 of the example rope structure 20 configured for use as a mooring line is visible color. Common examples of the nominal diameter of the example rope structure 20 when used as part of the example mooring system 120 are between 1″ and 2½″ in increments of 1/64 of an inch. When used as part of the example mooring system 120, the example rope structure 20 typically includes between 12 and 48 strands, at least a some of the strands are combined to form a hollow braid rope structure, and the rope structure 20 is typically but not necessarily unjacketed. 

What is claimed:
 1. A rope structure defining first and second ends, the rope structure comprising: a first directional strand defining a first characteristic; a second directional strand defining a second characteristic, where the second directional strand is distinguishable from the first directional strand based on the first and second characteristics; at least one additional strand that is distinguishable from the first and second directional strands based on the first and second characteristics; wherein the first and second directional strands are supported to define at least one intermediate section of the rope structure; and a first adjacent portion defined by the first directional strand and a second adjacent portion defined by the second directional strand are arranged within each intermediate section of the rope structure such that the first adjacent portion of the first directional strand is closer to the first end of the rope than the second adjacent portion of the second directional strand, and the second adjacent portion of the second directional strand is closer to the second end of the rope than the first adjacent portion of the first directional strand.
 2. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, in which the first and second characteristics are visually distinguishable.
 3. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, in which the first and second characteristics include at least one of color, size, and texture.
 4. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, in which the first and second characteristics are non-visible.
 5. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, in which the first and second characteristics are detectable.
 6. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, in which the first and second characteristics include at least one of conductivity, magnetism, ultra-violet dyes, and RFID identifier.
 7. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, in which the first and second characteristics are detected by at least one of a camera, RFID sensor, and magnetic sensor.
 8. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, in which the first and second characteristics are detected using image processing data.
 9. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, comprising a plurality of pairs of first and second directional strands.
 10. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, in which the at least one additional strand comprises a plurality of additional strands.
 11. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, in which the at least one additional strand provides at least one functional characteristic to the rope structure.
 12. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, in which the at least one additional strand provides a plurality of functional characteristics to the rope structure.
 13. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, in which the at least one additional strand comprises at least first and second types of additional strands.
 14. A rope structure as recited in claim 5, in which: the first type of additional strand provides a first functional characteristic to the rope structure; and the second type of additional strand provides a second functional characteristic to the rope structure.
 15. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, in which the at least one additional strand comprises a plurality of the first type of additional strand; and a plurality of the second type of additional strand.
 16. A mooring system for securing a vessel relative to a predetermined location comprising: vessel hardware supported by the vessel; predetermined location hardware supported at the predetermined location; and a rope structure defining first and second ends and comprising a plurality of types of strands, where at least one of the types of strands forms a first directional strand defining a first characteristic, at least one of the types of strands forms a second directional strand defining a second characteristic, where the second directional strand is distinguishable from the first directional strand based on the first and second characteristics, at least one of the types of strands is distinguishable from the first and second directional strands based on the first and second characteristics, the first and second directional strands are supported to define at least one intermediate section of the rope structure, and a first adjacent portion defined by the first directional strand and a second adjacent portion defined by the second directional strand are arranged within each intermediate section of the rope structure such that the first adjacent portion of the first directional strand is closer to the first end of the rope than the second adjacent portion of the second directional strand, and the second adjacent portion of the second directional strand is closer to the second end of the rope than the first adjacent portion of the first directional strand; wherein the mooring system operates in a first configuration in which the first end is operatively connected to the vessel hardware and the second end is operatively connected to the predetermined location hardware, and a second configuration in which the second end is operatively connected to the vessel hardware and the first end is operatively connected to the predetermined location hardware.
 17. A method of determining directionality of a rope structure comprising a plurality of strands and defining first and second ends, the method comprising the steps of: identifying a first directional strand from the plurality of strands, where the first directional strand defines a first characteristic; identifying a second directional strand from the plurality of strands, where the second directional strand defines a second characteristic; distinguishing the second directional strand from the first directional strand based on the first and second characteristics; supporting the first and second directional strands to define at least one intermediate section of the rope structure, a first adjacent portion defined by the first directional strand, and a second adjacent portion defined by the second directional strand, where the first adjacent portion and the second adjacent portion are arranged within each intermediate section of the rope structure; and identifying the first and second ends of the rope structure based on a determination that the first adjacent portion of the first directional strand is closer to the first end of the rope than the second adjacent portion of the second directional strand, and the second adjacent portion of the second directional strand is closer to the second end of the rope than the first adjacent portion of the first directional strand.
 18. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, in which the first and second characteristics are visually distinguishable.
 19. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, in which the first and second characteristics are non-visible.
 20. A rope structure as recited in claim 1, in which the first and second characteristics are detectable. 